Ches has cracked the whip …. And it's had little effect. Too much happening to find the time to write a blog every night. Apart from posting it here, I use it to put together a photo album when we return home, so it will get written. Here we are a week later, Father's Day here in the UK and tomorrow we leave for Brighton and the easter counties. Back on Monday, we left Puddletown and on to Combe Florey. The name Puddletown means 'farmstead on the River P...

If Saturday morning was a slow start, Sunday was almost a non-event. A long sleep in by all except I, who as usual is awake and up by 5:30. The sun is up then and stays up till around 10:15pm. We spent the late morning at Tolpuddle. I don't usually like to quote Wikipedia, however on this occasion, it's the only site that summarises the story of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. We spent some time in the museum, walked the streets, sat under the memorial shelter beside the...

At Puddletown, I had booked us into "Troy Cottage". The address is simply "Troy Cottage, The Square, Puddletown". Perhaps no cottage around and behind "the square" is quite so significant. There are lots of attractive thatch roofed buildings, however "Troy Cottage" is special. It has featured in paintings and photographs for centuries. Why is it now named after Sergeant Francis Troy, the fictional character, a dashin...

Saturday began slowly and never really picked up speed. Drew had had an horrendous week. He had to mark 27 final years students compositions. They were all recorded and he had to listen to them all and give a final assessment. From morning to night, we listened to many of them while in the apartment. He was exhausted from this and having had a bad head cold all week. I on the other hand am suffering from hay fever, which the media report, is generating a google s...

Dorset Thursday evening when we returned from Portsmouth, I again used Sheila to direct me to the Europcar rental office down near the Southampton docks. I was on foot; however I have no idea what form of transport Sheila was using. She took me on a walk that left much to my own imagination, especially when she wanted me to turn right and walk off a cliff in the middle of town. Tourists off a ship asked for my help in finding the shopping precinct. I slapped...